Popular Nigerian Afrobeat artiste, Oxlade, has addressed the controversy surrounding his restriction of the late rapper Mohbad’s Instagram account.
In a statement posted on his Twitter account, Oxlade said the restriction was not intended as disrespect, but rather a means to prioritize his personal messages.
Following the tragic passing of Mohbad on September 12, numerous celebrities, fans, and fellow Nigerians have paid their respects to the late artist.
Oxlade, among those commemorating Mohbad, shared a screenshot of his Instagram conversation with the rapper.
However, upon closer inspection, it became evident that Oxlade placed restriction on Mohbad’s account, leading to criticism from some Nigerians on various social media platforms.
Although the ‘Kulosa’ crooner deleted the screenshot, he has continued to receive heavy backlash and criticism from Nigerians.
READ ALSO: Late Mohbad’s mother seeks help to apprehend Naira Marley
Addressing this issue on his Twitter account late Friday, Oxlade explained that the restrict was not to disrespect the late rapper.
According to him, his social media accounts are being handled by his record label, and restricting an account indicates to his record label that messages from such accounts are important.
Oxlade also mentioned that he had received death threats in response to this situation but emphasized that he didn’t take them personally.
In the lengthy statement, he wrote, “Tape drop, I no talk. Lawsuit matter, I no talk. Lost endorsements. I still did not send it. You drag me for TikTok. Call me oxtail. Because the doctor put me on vocal rest for nodules, you people still neva cared, but I still never send.
“On This matter, I won’t be quiet. How do you think people like me manage the DMs? We have teams. I restrict certain accounts to only me/my phone so only I can reply. I’m not clearing my name. I am giving you facts.
“I’ve lost a friend, and I can’t grieve properly because elders and blogs want to use me for clickbait. Fighting against bullying, but you are bullying me. Make it make sense. I’m not speaking on this again, please. Let’s focus on getting justice. Make una use una time to do better things and leave other people to live.
READ ALSO: ‘They killed, buried him alive,’ netizens speculate, as Mohbad’s body is exhumed
“Note: I only restrict accounts I have a personal relationship with because my label runs my account in order not to miss important bookings and business conversations. So the restricted account is a way of pointing out to my label that the messages from these accounts are private and come from my close friends.
“I have been getting death threats ever since the event was unveiled but I don’t take anything personal because everything happens for a reason. You can silence me with a scandal but you can never dim my light. Imole season for a reason. Love; Gaza.”